Cigarette-case.



A. A. MITCHELL.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPLICATloN FILED 1uLY2a,l9s5.

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A. A. MITCHELL.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23| I9I5.

,UU L PaIen-I@ 1Apr.18,1916.

IIIII ATTORNEYS THE cDLumnlA PLANOGRAPH pol, WASHINGTON, D. C.

AUGUST A. MITCHELL, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y., ASSGNOB T0 PROFITABLE NOVELTES CORPORATION, OF NEW" YORK, N. Y.

CIGARETTE-OASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18', 1916.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, AUeUsT A.' MrTonnLn,

a citizen of the United States, and a resi dent of the city of New York, boro-ugh of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and lmproved Cigarette-Case, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Among the principal objects which the present invention hasin view are: To provide supports for individual cigarettes, for holding the saine in spaced relation to the sides of a folding case; to provide supports of the character mentioned arranged to prevent rotation of the cigarettes; to" provide a mounting for said supports, the construction whereof is simplified and cheapened; and to provide means for spreading the sides of a cigarette case and `for maintaining the median relation of said support thereto for all degrees of spread thereof.

To this end the invention consists in providing a rack having a series of spurs rectangular in cross section for impaling cigarettes and further in pivotally incorporating the rack in the hinge structure of a cigarette case, to be held at equal distance from the opposite sides of the case when the saine are separated, as when the case is open.

Drawz'ngs.-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a case constructed and arranged in accord ance with the present invention, the same being shown as holding cigarettes in service position; Fig. 2 is a section taken as on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section taken. as on the line 3-8 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section taken as on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section taken as on the line 5--5 in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section taken as on the line 6 6 in Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a perspective view, showing a modified form of the invention; Fig. 8 is a section taken as on the line 8--8 in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a cross section taken as on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a cross section taken as on the line 10-10 in Fig. 8; and Fig. 11 is a cross section taken as on the line 11-11 in Fig. 8.

Description- As seen in the drawings, a cigarette case in which the present invention is embodied, is provided with cover sides 1, which are furnished with hinge knuckles 2. The knuckles 2 are curled to a cylindrical or tubular form to receive a fiat Wire hinge pin 3., The ends 4 of the hinge pin are bent over, as seen best in Fig. 1 of the drawings and extended laterally from the body or bar of the said pin to form hinge bearings or thrust members to normally hold the cover sides 1 in the wide spread position shown in the drawings.

A rack 5 is likewise engaged with the pin 3, as is best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and by a centrally disposed hinge knuckle 6, with which the said rack is furnished. As seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the knuckle 6 has an elongated or rectangular opening to fit snugly the hinge pin 3. To provide for the necessary liexure of the hinge pin 3, when operating as an opening spring for the cigarette case, the rack 5 is provided with hinge knuckles 7, the tubular opening through which is cylindrical to permit freedom of action of the said hinge pin, as is best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

rlhe rack 5 is provided with a series of flat bladesvS, which serve to support cigarettes in a vertical position substantially as seen in the drawings.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive, the sides 9 and 10, are furnished with hinge knuckles 11 and 12 re spectively. The knuckles 11 and 12 are tubular and have disposed therein a hinge pin 13, which forms a pivotal connection for the said sides. The hinge pin 13 also forms a pivotal mounting for the rack 14, the said pin passing through the knuckles 15 and 16. Between the knuckles 15 of the rack 14, two spiral springs 17 and 18 are placed. The spiral spring 17 and 18 have elongated ends 19 and Q0 respectively. The ends 19 and 20, as shown best in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings, bear on the sides 9 and 10 near the hinge connection thereof, and operate to spread the said sides to the open position, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, when unrestrained. To anchor the springs 17 and 18, they are provided with short ends 21 and 9.2 respectively, which press against the opposite sides of a framing bar 23. Due to the construction and arrangement set forth, the springs 17 and 18, not only maintain the opened position of the sides 9 and 10, but hold the framing bar 9.3 of the rack 14 and the blades 24 thereof in position substantially perpendicular to the said sides, or in a position equally distant from each of said sides.

The rack 14 and blades 24 thereof are constructed from suitable sheet metal. The

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blades 24 are provided with sharp points for impaling cigarettes thereon. The thin widened form of the blades 24 operates to prevent the twisting or turning of a cigarette on the rack while impaled upon one of the blades.

The Sides 9 and 10 are held in closed relation by a latch pin 25 and a striker plate 26 which engages the same. The lplate 26 is mounted on an elongated spring 27, which spring is held by small pins 28 lat the opposite ends thereof. The employment of the spring 27 as ay support for the plate 26 and the mountingembodying the pins 2S at the opposite ends thereof, strengthens the latch construction and obviates an objection to which these latches are subject, due to the depressing of the same beyond the path of the pin 25.

Opez'atz'on..-Wlien uniting in service; the cover sides 1, 9 and `10, and the racks 5 and 14, the hinge knuckles of the said cover sides and racks are alined to receive the hinge pins 3 and 13. l/Vhen employing the springs 17 and 18 of the modified form, they are also placed in line with theknuckles 15 of the cover sides 9 and 10. This step in the operation is not necessary when using the hinge pin 3, which is simply threaded through the knuckles and the end 4 is then ben-t substantially as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.V In both instances, the cover sides are normally held in the fully-opened position, shown in the drawings and the racks 5 and `14 are held in position to elevate the blades 8 and 24. The blades being thus disposed, the operation of impaling the cigarettes thereon is simplified. Cigarettes are impaled on the blades 8 and 24 and the cover sides are then closed, said sides moving evenly toward the cigarettes to inclose the same. The cover sides are llocked in the closed position by the latch pin 25 engaging the striker plate 26. Vhen the owner desires to take a cigarette from the case, the striker plate 26 is depressed, the spring 27 yielding to permit from the latch pin 25. The vhinge pin 8, which has remained twisted under tension during the closure of the sides 1 1, operates through the endsf4 to spread the sides to the fully-opened position. A similar oilice is performed by the springs 17 and 18 for the sides 9 and 10.

It will be noted that in the operation of both forms of the-invention, the blades 8 to 24 are at all times held equidistant from the the same f to disengage sides 1-1 and 9-10, and that cigarettes impaled on said blades are separated from the said sides in all stages ol" the opening thereof.

Claims:

l. An article as characterized comprising pivotally connected cover sides; a rack pivotally mounted thereon, said rack embodying flat projecting blades; and means for maintaining said rack in spaced relation to said sides when the same are open.

2. An article as characterized comprising pivotally connected cover sides; a rack pivotally mounted thereon, said rack embodying flat projecting blades; and means for maintaining said blades in a plane intermediate the planes of said sides.

3. An article as characterized having pivotally connected cover sides, said sides having hinge knuckles; a supporting rack having projecting blades and hinge knuckles corresponding with the knuckles von said sides; a hinge pin extending through said knuckles on said sides and said rack for pivotally uniting the same; a resilient member connecting said sides to normally spread the same to full open position; and means lfor maintainingthe blades of said rack substantially perpendicular to said sides when said sides are in open position.

4. An article asv characterized having two cover sides and an intermediate rack member, said'sides andfmember embodying interleaved'vhinge knuckles; a plurality of iiat pointed blades ixedly mounted on said rack in spaced relation; a hinge pin extended through said hinge knuckles; and springs mounted on said hinge pin for normally opening said cover sides,

5. An article as characterized having two cover sides and an intermediate rack member, said sides and member embodying interleaved hinge knuckles; a plurality of flat pointed blades iXedly mounted on said rack in spaced relation; a hinge pin extended through said hinge knuckles; and springs mounted on said pin for engaging said cover sides and said rack to exert a pressure thereon for normally maintaining said sides and said rack substantially equidistant.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST A. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

E. F. Mnnooon, PHILIP D. RoLLi-IAUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, .by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

